Laundry apparatus having automatic clutch control



1963 J. R. HUBBARD ETAL 3,100,387

LAUNDRY APPARATUS HAVING AUTOMATIC CLUTCH CONTROL Filed Dec. 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3, 1963 J. R. HUBBARD Em. 3,100,387

LAUNDRY APPARATUS HAVING AUTOMATIC CLUTCH CONTROL Filed Dec. 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,106,387 LAUNDRY APPARATUS HAVKNG AUTOMATIC CLUTCH (IUNTROL James R. Hubbard and Stanley V. Horecky, Moorestown,

N .J., assiguors, by mesne'assiguments, to Philco Corporation, Piriiadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 10, B53, Ser. No. 779,351 7 Claims. (Cl. 6812) This invention relatesto laundry apparatus and more,

particularly, to laundry apparatus of the type adapted automatically, according to a predetermined cycle of operations, both to wash and to dry clothes.

While of broader applicability, the present invention has particular utility in laundry apparatus adapted to operate in the manner disclosed and claimed in US. Patent No. 2,760,639, issued August 28, 1956, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Briefly, this patent relates to a method for centrifugally extracting liquid from and air-dryingfabric materials, which materials have been washed in a cleaning liquid by low speed tumbling within a basket or drum having a lower portion which dips into said liquid. A major portion of the liquid retained by the materials immediately following the wash cycle is extracted therefrom by rotating the drurn at a 2 first or intermediate centrifuging speed higher than the mentioned tumbling speed but lower than the final centrifuging speed. The rotative speed is then reduced below A the first centrifuging speed to a point suflicient to permit the materials to fall by gravity away from the wall of the drum followed by increasing the speed of the drum to a higher speed in excess of the first centrifuging speed. After a suitable period of rotation at this higher speed,. and upon initiation of the drying cycle, the rotational speed is reduced to that suitable for tumbling, whereupon the clothes again fall awayfrom the inner peripheral wall of the drum. This falling away of the clothes from the periphery of the drum just prior to the drying cycle desir ably provides for an optimum amount of material surface exposed to the drying air currents that pass through the cylinder. This is best accomplished by rotating the cylinder slowly and tumbling the material therein in such, manner as to expose substantially all surfaces to the drying air currents.

In order to carry out the above advantageous sequence 4 of operations it has been necessary in the past to provide suitable shiftable transmission means driven by a contant speed motor, in combinationwith means operable in response to a suitable programming device, suchas a timer, to shift the transmission means an'dprovide the desired drum speedsincluding low or tumble, inter-mediate, and high. e I It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simplified drive means for carrying out the above-described sequence of operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in combination with a multispeed transmission, means responsive to rotational speeds of a member driven with said transmission to modify, cyclically, the energy delivered to the driven member thereby to provide rotational speeds of the latter other than those provided by the transmission per se. 1

i It is a specific object of the invention to provide simple \means in combination with a two-speed transmission .nvhereby three speeds are attainable therefrom.

* In the achievement of the foregoing, as well as other objectives, a preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates provision, in laundry apparatus, of twospeed transmission means, capable of imparting to a rotating drum a lower, or. tumble, speed and a higher, or centrifuging speed, and this in combination with means operative, in correspondence with rotational speed of the driven ICC system, when said transmission is conditioned for operating at the aforesaid higher speed, intermittently to interrupt the power input to the rotating drum thereby effectively to reduce its speed to a value substantially intermediate the tum-ble speed and the higher speed.

For a full understanding of the invention, and of the manner in which principles thereof may be carried out, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective showing of laundry apparatus embodyingthe invention;

FIGURE is an elevational showing, partly in section, of the apparatus'seen in FIGURE 1, as viewed from the rear;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the transmission with parts broken away, and looking generally in the direction indicated by arrows 3-3 as applied to FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic showing of electrical control circuitry embodying a preferred form of the invention; a i

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of one form of centrifugal switch means indicated in FIGURE 4, and as embodied in apparatus shown in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is a showing similar to FIGURE 4, and illustrating a modification of the invention.

Now making more detailed reference to the drawing, and first to FIGURES 1 and 2, the invention is embodied in combined washing and drying apparatus including cabinet structure 16 having mounted thereon control means 11 and a door 12 that provides access to an opening cornmunicating with the interior of a clothes washing and drying chamber mountedwithin the cabinet structure.

The clothes chamber comprises a horizontally extending perforate drum or cylindrical basket 13 (FIGURE 2) which is mounted for rotating movements about a horizontally extending hub 14. Drive means for rotating the: drum includes a motor 15, and a transmission 16 driven thereby and arranged to drive a belt 20 which engages a pulley 21 mounted to the drum in the region of said hub.

As will 'be hereinafter more fullyexplained, an idler pulley 22 is arranged. to engage a portion of the belt, said idler pulley being driven by the belt and further arranged to drive suitable centrifugal switch means, for example that shown in FIGURE 5, in accordance with teachings of the present invention. The idler pulley is mounted for rotatable movements on an arm 23 that is pivotally mounted, as seen at 25, upon housing 24.; A spring 26 reacts between arm 23 and housing 24 "and resiliently urges pulley 22 against belt 20. 1 f

As is well known in the art, 13 is rotated at a lower speed in the washing operation either to tumble the clothes or, 'when'operated at a higher speed, to. centrifuge the clothes to extract moisture therefrom, and during the drying operation to turnble the clothes at the lower speed uniformly to expose the fabrics or clothes being dried to circulating heated air, thereby facilitating the drying operation."

As is seen further in FIGURE 2, while the ends 30, 30a of drum 13 are preferably imperforate, with the exception of a loading aperture (not shown) in registry with door 12., the cylindrical surface portion 31 of the drum has perforations '32 to permit passage of heated circulated air through the drum to dry clothes disposed therein. Housing 24 isspaced from and encloses the drum 13, and an electrical resistance heater 3% is disposed within an inwardly presented recessed portion 34 of the drum enclosure 24'. Means for cooling'the circulated air may include a water vapor condenser (not shown) disposed withinthe enclosure, in the region of embossed portion 35 located opposite the heater 33'. Circulation of the, air is effected through rotation of the drum in combination 3 with temperature gradients existing between the relatively warm heater and the cool condenser. While details of the aforementioned structure need not be described further in connection with the present invention, a preferred struc tu-re is disclosed and claimed in the co-pending application of Ernest G. Orr, Serial No. 740,103 filed June 5, 1958, now US. Patent No. 3,018,562, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

Means associated with control means 11, for controlling the temperature within the clothes drying chamber, includes suitable thermostatic elements associated with the interior of the drum enclosure 24 and disposed in suitable electrical circuitry with the heater. One such means for controlling the temperature is disclosed and claimed in the co-pending application of Arthur Berenbaum, Serial No. 768,101, filed October 20, 1958, now

the transmission. The transmission is also of a conventional type and is disposed within an open ended housing 41 disposed adjacent the end of the motor housing 36, said end together with the housing 41 serving completely to enclose the transmission 16.

A pinion 42 is formed integrally with armature shaft 40 and ldrivably meshes with'the teeth of the large gear 43, the latter being loosely sleeved on the driven countershaft 44 journalled within the transmission housing 41. Counter-shaft 44 is parallel to armature shaft 40 and is provided with a pulley 45 (FIGURE 2) A clutch member 46 is mounted to armature Shfilfit 40, for rotation therewith, and conical clutch shoes 50 are attached to the member 46. These shoes are arranged for seating in a correspondingly shaped recess in a second clutch member 51 loosely sleeved at the end of armature shaft 40. This second clutch member 5-1 is provided with teeth 52 that mesh with a gear 53 mounted on the countershaft 44 for rotation with the latter. The arrangement is such that low speed drive is through the pinion 42 and gear 43, and high speed drive is through gears 52 and 53.

The gears 43 and 53 arranged along the counter-shaft 44 are releasably connected to one another by means of a one-way drive connection in the form of a suitably arranged coil spring 54, anchored to gear 43 by pin 54a,

and which tends to tighten about the respective shoulder portions 55 and 56 of the gears 43 and 53 when driven V in one directionandwhich tends to loosen and unwind from the shoulders when driven in the opposite direction.

When thereis no pressure on the clutch members 50,

51 they'separate slightly axially and lower speed drive occurs from the pinion 42'through the gear 43 clutched by spring 5-4to gear 53 keyed to the counter-shaft 44, while gear 52 turns freely.

To obtain higher speed, a solenoid 57 (FIGURE 2) is energizedby means hereinafter to be described, to move toward the left, with reference to FIGURE 3, and in so doing moves a link (not shown) interconnecting the solenoid and a lever 60, pivotally mounted to housing 16 by a pin-5 9. :Lever 60 is suitably linked by a pin 61 to the end of athrust shaft 62 which is coaxial with respect'to armature shaft 40, and axially movable through an opening 63' in the transmission housing41. Operating solenoid 57 applies axial pressure, through a link and a lever 60,.to shift the gear-clutch member 51 toward clutch member 46 thereby effecting engagement of the clutch members and causing the armature shaft 40 to drive the clutc h-gear52. This drives the counter-shaft 44 directly Switch '64 includes a shaft 65 that is manually rotatable for indexing by a knob 66, and driven by a small constant speed motor 70. Shaft 65 carries a series of cams 71, 72, and '73 arranged to open and close respective switch contacts 74, 75, and '76 which control circuits including the motor 15 and solenoid 57. The sequence of steps with which the present invention is concerned, and

as hereinbefore described, is predetermined by and in accordance with suitable shapes of the cams 71, 72 and 73. It is of course to be understood that means for admitting and expelling wash water :as well as for energizing the heater, while not forming a part of the invention, may be of any known suitable variety, and may also be controlled by additional cams and switch contacts as needed and associated with the shaft 65.

The motor 15 is of the split-phase induction type provided with a starting winding and a' running winding 81 arranged in parallel circuitry; and each being disposed in series circuitry with switch contacts 74. Armature shaft 40 of the motor is arranged to drive the two-speed transmission 16 (FIGURE 3), the particular higher or lower speed being determined, respectively,by energiza tion or deenergization of the solenoid 57 as hereinbefore explained;

Suitable centrifugal switch means 82 is disposed in series electrical circuitry with starting winding 80 and includes a fixed contact 83 and a movable contact 84. The movable contact 84 is operable, to open and close the starting winding, by a disc 85 axially movable along the armature shaft by pivoted weights 86 mounted to said shaft, and which, at a predetermined motor speed, swing radially outwardly against the resistance of springs 87. The weights have extensions with ends seated in grooves formed in the periphery of disc 85. The disc 85 is thereby axially movable along armature shaft 40 in response to radial movement of weights 86. Thus, when the motor starts and the proper constant motor speed is attained, the weights shift disc 85 far enough to permit spring 90 to urge the contacts 83 and 84 apart and deenergize the starting winding. In further accordance with well known practice, a capacitor 91 is placed in series with the starting winding.

In particular accordance with the invention, and referring further to FIGURE 4, a further centrifugal switch means 92 is driven with the idler pulley 22, and the contacts 93, 94 are disposed. in series electrical circuitry with switch contacts 76 and the solenoid 57. 'The aforementioned switch contacts 76 and 93, 94 are in parallel circuitry with switch contacts 75, and centrifugal force-responsive means for operating the switch 92 include resiliently restrained weights and disc 96'. A more detailed 7 description of this apparatus is included in what follows.

FIGURE 5 illustrates, in somewhat more detail, centrifugal switch apparatus 92 which has been modified slightly in order to combine the same with the pulley 22 thereby to provide a compact unitary structure embodying these elements. Pulley 22 is rotatabiy mounted by suitable bear-ing means upon a pin 19 fixedly mounted to lever 23. A switch plate 93b is mounted to the lever 23 and includes fixed contact 93 and movable contact 94 carried by the resilient arm 94b. A switch operatingmember 940 extends away from arm 94 and toward the pulley. One side of the pulley is concave and bracket means 22b is attached to the pulley and disposed in the region of concavity of the latter. Weights 95 are carried by bracket means 22b and are pivotally mounted therein for radial movements (see broken-line showing) in response to predetermined rotational speeds of, the pulley. ,A disc 96 is axially movable along pin 19 and is connected to ends of weights 95 by springs S. Disc 96 is slida'bly engaged by member 940.

In the operation of this modified apparatus large ends of weights 95 move radially outwardly when the pulley is rotated at a predetermined higher speed, thereby pivoting the smaller ends of the weights radially inwardly to move springs S and disc 96 toward the pulley. Motion of the disc releases pressure upon member 940 thereby permitting resilient arm 94b to move downwardly and open contacts 93 and 94. This deenengizes the appropriate circuit, whereupon the rotational speed of the pulley drops and effects reversal of the aforementioned movements again to close the contacts and to energize the appropriate circuit.

A resistor R (FIGURE 4) is also disposed in series with the aforementioned switch contacts 93, 94 as indicated. As will be more fully understood from the ensuing descriptionof the operation of the above described apparatus in a predetermined sequence, resistor R functions advantageously to minimize noises arising from impact of the operating elements of the solenoid.

In considering a representativepredetermined sequence of operations comprising a washing cycle followed by a drying cycle, and making particular reference to FIG URE 4, itwill first be assumed that the clothes have been washed and rinsed, but have not yet received a final waterextraction prior to initiating the drying cycle. After pumping out the final rinse water contained within enclosure or tub 24, and upon initiating the first sequence of water-extracting operations, the switch contacts 74, 75, 76 will be in the positions indicated. Motor 15 will have been energized by the closing of contacts 74, as provided for by cam 71, and switch contacts 75 will be open; However, contacts 76 will have been closed thereby connecting the solenoid 57, through contacts 93 and 94 of centrifugal switch 92, across the line L. The contacts 93 and 94 are shown as being closed, but it will be understood that contacts of centrifugal switch 92 will alternately be opened and closed in response to rotational speeds of pulley 22, thereby alternately deenergizing and energizing solenoid 57. By thus operating the solenoid, the transmission wi-ll alternately be conditioned for operating, respectively, at lower and higher speeds. The action of the switch 92 is rapid, with the net effect of providing a rotational speed of the transmission, and hence the clothes drum, having a value intermediate the tumble, or lower, speed and the higher, or final centrifuging, speed of the drum.

Following a predetermined suitable period of operation of the drum at this intermediate speed, and in accordance with teachings of the aforementioned Haverstock'Patent No. 2,760,639, the drum is again operated at tumble speed, the shaft 65 'Will have rotated to such position as to provide for maintaining contacts 74 closed and contacts 76 open, and closing contacts 75, thereby to energize solenoid 57 to'condition the transmission for the higher speed, or final centrifuging, operation. Following a suitable period-of final centrifuging, shaft 65 will have rotated again to such position as to provide, again, for operation of the drum at its tumble speed, whereupon the clothes advantageously fall away from the peripheral wall of the drum and the heater 33 is energized in accordance with known suitable programming means (not shown).v

Thus, the foregoing novel arrangement of a two-speed transmission and speed responsive switching elements pro- FIGURE 6, and claimed in the copending, sole divisional application of James R. Hubbard filed February 9, 1962, Serial No. 172,345, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the above described sequence of operations is advantageously provided by disposing a suitable centrifugal switch 92a in parallel circuitry with motor energizing contacts 74a of multiple switch 64a, these contacts being in series with line L and the motor 15a. Also, the multiple switch includes a set of contacts 75a arranged to energize and deenergize solenoid 5711, as provided for by line L. As indicated, switch 92a is associated with motor shaft 40a, and is thereby responsive to rotational speeds of the motor. v

In the Washing-drying sequence of operations, the clothes drum is driven at its tumble, or lower, speed by closing switch contacts 74a and opening switch contacts 75a. This conditions the transmission, by deenergizing solenoid 57a, for lower speed operation, and closing of contacts 74a obviates any effects due to operation of switch 92a having contacts 93a-and 94a disposed in paral-. lel with contacts 74a. a

The desired intermediate centrifuging speed is obtained by opening contacts Ma and closing contacts 75a, thus conditioning the transmission for higher speed operation and providing for cyclic energization and deenergization of the motor 15a in response to predetermined rotational speeds of the latter. The net effect is, therefore, the driving of drum 13 at the intermediate speed as respects the lower and higher speeds provided by the transmission.

Higher, or centrifuging, drum speed is then provided by the closing of contacts 74:: and maintaining contacts 75a closed. After a suitable period of operation at this speed contacts 75a are again opened and contacts 74a maintained closed to provide the desired tumble speed of the drum'for the ensuing drying operation.

While the present invention has been illustrated as being embodied in apparatus utilizing a gear-type transmission it is to be understood that a variable speed belt drive may be used as well, in place of the above mentioned transmission. Also, speed responsive switch means other than those illustrated by way of example may be used.

It is therefore seen that the hereinabove disclosed apparatus provides simple and effective means for operating combined clothes washing and drying equipment utilizing a two-speed transmission at different rotational speeds, in accordance with an optimum program of such speeds heretofore requiring a relatively complex threespeed transmission.

It will be understood that such modifications may he made in the illustrated embodiments as are contemplated by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

- l. In laundry apparatus of the type including a rotatable clothes drum, a motor, a driving connection between said drum and said motor including a transmission shiftable to provide either a lower or a higher rotational speed of said drum, and means for shifting said transmission, selectively, and operative in correspondence to rotational speeds of said drum alternately to shift said transmission to said higher and said lower speeds.

2. In laundry apparatus of the type including a rotatable clothes basket, a motor, a driving connection between said basket and said motor including clutch means operative selectively to engage and disengage said connection, and means for operating said clutch means alternately to engage and disengage the same in correspondence with rotational speeds of said basket.

' 3. In laundry apparatus, a rotatable clothes drum, a motor, means defining a driving connection between said drum and said motor including a transmission adapted to 7 be conditioned for operating said drum at either a higher or a lower rotational speed, and means for conditioning said transmission for operation, selectively, to provide either of said rotational speeds, and operative in correspondence to rotational speeds of said drum alternately to condition said transmission for operating said drum at said higher and lower speeds.

4. In laundry apparatus, a rotatable clothes drum, and drive means for rotating said drum at a plurality of speeds, comprising: motor means, a transmission driven by said motor means and adapted to be conditioned, selectively, for operating said drum at a lower and a higher'sp'eed, and means driven with said drive means and operative in correspondence with rotational speeds thereof alternately to condition said transmission for meta-ting said drum at said lower and said higher speed, thereby to rotate said drum at a. resultant effective speed intermediate said lower and said higher speeds.

5. In laundry apparatus of the type including a rotatable basket, a motor, a driving connection between said motor. and said basket including a transmission shiftable to provide a lower and a higher rotational speed of said basket, a control circuit providing for energization of said motor and for causing the transmission to be shifted from one of said speeds to the other of said speeds while said motor is energized, said circuit including switch means interposed therein and adapted to be alternately opened and closed, in correspondence to notational speeds of said basket, whereby alternately to shift said transmission from one of said speeds to the other to drive the basket in a range between said lower and said higher speeds.

8 Y 6. In laundry apparatus of the type including a rotatable basket, a motor, a driving connection between said motor and said basket including a transmission shiftable to provide lower and higher rotational speeds of said basket, a control circuit providing for energization of said motor and for shifting the transmission between the lower and higher speeds, and switch means interposed in said circuit operative to energize said motor and including 7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,236,113 2,387,216 Hood Oct. 16, 1945 2,461,764 Oleott Feb. 15, 1949 r 2,717,350 Broilsfiord Sept. 6,1955 2,760,639 Haverst'ock Aug. 28, 1956 2,881,597 Jacobs Apr. 14, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS V 829,292 Great Britain Mar. 2, 1960 1,153,649 France Oct. '14, 1957 Seaman Aug. 7, 1917 

2. IN LAUNDRY APPARATUS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A ROTATABLE CLOTHES BASKET, A MOTOR, A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID BASKET AND SAID MOTOR INCLUDING CLUTCH MEANS OPERATIVE SELECTIVELY TO ENGAGE AND DISENGAGE SAID CONNECTION, AND MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID CLUTCH MEANS ALTERNATELY TO ENGAGE AND DISENGAGE THE SAME IN CORRESPONDENCE WITH ROTATIONAL SPEEDS OF SAID BASKET. 